The typical fishing rod has a reel containing the fishing line. The fishing reel is attached to the top of the fishing rod, usually by a clamp. A hand grip is provided at the end of the fishing rod to the rear of the reel. In ocean fishing for large fish such as yellowtail tuna (40 to 80 pounds), the fisherman casts the hook and line and often has to wait for a protracted period for a bite. If the fisherman becomes distracted or otherwise loses concentration, he may cease holding the hand grip firmly so that when a large fish suddenly takes the hook, the line along with the entire rod and reel is suddenly jerked out of the fisherman's hand, resulting in the loss of the rod and reel to the ocean depths at a cost of hundreds of dollars.
In U.S. Pat. No. 756,364 to Hermance, there is disclosed an attached trigger shaped element for restraining the fisherman's finger and located behind the reel. Bishop U.S. Pat. No. 802,027, describes a trigger-shaped finger restraining structure attached to the fishing rod with the restraining structure located behind the reel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,377 to Martin shows a finger hole structure attached to a fishing rod and located behind the reel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,884 relates to a reel clamp and grip assembly which is attached by bolts to a reel plate to hold the reel and clamp to the fishing rod. The grip assembly has two laterally, outwardly opposed members each having bolt holes which are aligned with the bolts extending from the reel plate to permit attachment to the rod. Other patents of possible relevance include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,620,590 and 7,191,559.